Monthly Archives: January 2022

New Zealand recorded its first suspected case of the Delta variant on August 17th, 2021, and, in line with its zero-Covid policy, the government immediately placed the entirety of the country into an alert level 4 lockdown. By the end of the third quarter of 2021, Auckland had spent a total of thirty-five days under level 4 restrictions and a further nine days under level 3 while the rest of New Zealand spent a total of fourteen days in level 4 lockdown. Given the significant limiting of economic activity while under level 4 restrictions, including the prevention of non-essential construction works, it comes as no surprise that in Q3 2021 the New Zealand economy recorded its second-largest quarterly contraction since current records began. According to Stats NZ, the gross domestic product fell to NZD65.6bn ($44.7bn) in Q3 2021, a Q-o-Q fall of 3.7%, and a year-on-year (YoY) fall of 0.3%. Encouragingly, however, this contraction was significantly softer than expected, with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) initially projecting a quarterly contraction of 7%.

The f restrictions also weighed heavily on construction activity. The value-add of the construction sector fell to NZD4.2bn ($2.8bn) in Q3 2021, a contraction of 9.6% QoQ and 11.1% YoY. A similar, though slightly less drastic, fall was observed in the volume of construction work completed during the quarter, which fell by 8.6% QoQ, and 4.6% YoY. Residential construction completions were relatively more resilient, recording a contraction of only 6.4% QoQ and a growth of 1.2% YoY. In contrast, non-residential completions were down significantly during the quarter, recording contractions of 12.5% QoQ, and 14% YoY. Owing to the prolonged period spent under level 4 restrictions, the value of construction completed in Auckland recorded a far greater decline than either that completed in the rest of the North Island or that completed in the South Island; falling by 11% QoQ, in comparison to falls of 0.4% in the rest of the North Island and a fall of 1.7% in the South Island.

However, the downturn in construction activity in the third quarter of 2021 is likely only to be a temporary setback for the New Zealand construction industry, with the record number of building consents issued in the first ten months of the year indicating a far brighter outlook moving forwards. In the first ten months of 2021, the number of building consents issued rose to 44,539, a 23.5% increase on the 36,052 issued in the first ten months of 2020 and a 21.7% increase in the number of consents issued in the first ten months of 2019. Driving this growth is the intense volume of residential building activity, with consents up 26.1% YoY between January and October 2021 to 40,083 and up 27.5% on the first ten months of 2019. In contrast, non-residential consents increased by 4.5% YoY but were down by 13.8% when compared to the same period in 2019.

GlobalData currently expects the New Zealand construction industry to have recorded growth of 8.1% in 2021 and to record a growth of 7.8% in 2022. However, downside risks to the outlook are relatively significant, including accelerating inflation, rising materials and wage costs and the threat posed by the Omicron variant. The RBNZ increased its official cash rate (OCR) to 0.75% on November 24th, 2021, citing rising price pressures, tightening capacity and above sustainable employment levels. Rising funding costs due to the OCR increase are likely to weigh on demand for greater capacity in those sectors where uncertainty remains elevated, predominantly affecting the commercial sector. The NZ Government postponed the return of quarantine-free travel in response to the spread of the Omicron on the 21st December 2021, in addition to increasing the quarantine period from seven days to ten. Quarantine-free travel was initially to be opened to New Zealanders and visa holders resident in Australia on the 17th January 2022, but this has been postponed until the end of February 2022. This is likely to push back the initially planned border reopening in April, delaying the recovery of the NZ tourism industry and further constraining demand for commercial capacity.

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NZ construction stumbles but residential will support full-year growth - DesignBuild Network

Two of New Zealands most prominent Covid-19 experts have warned that the country is unprepared to prevent the health system from being overloaded by an Omicron outbreak, with likely fatal consequences.

Otago Universitys Dr Nick Wilson and Dr Michael Baker also said it was only a matter of weeks before the highly transmissible variant seeped into the community due to border failures.

Wilson said that despite New Zealands high vaccination rates, the number of adults who had received a booster dose of the vaccine essential for minimising the effects of Omicron remains dangerously low, and noted that the vaccine rollout for children between five and 11 still had not begun.

New Zealand received its first shipment of Pfizers paediatric vaccine only at the weekend, and intends to begin child vaccinations from 17 January, despite some comparable countries beginning their child vaccine rollout late last year.

Omicrons short incubation period also means New Zealands system for identifying and containing new community cases would be much less effective.

Wilson panned the countrys traffic light system which replaced the more stringent alert-level system last year as not fit for purpose with Omicron due to its tolerance for relatively significant social interaction for vaccinated people when Covid is in the community.

Baker agreed, calling for the government to rapidly reinstate an amended version of the alert level system. The traffic light system wont help us very much because it was never designed to dampen down transmission, it was only designed to nudge people towards vaccination, Baker said.

Until these weaknesses were fixed, he said, we need to hugely turn down the tap of people arriving in New Zealand. Wilson agreed: The priority is to have a tighter border so that we dont have to vaccinate kids and conduct a booster program during an outbreak.

The pair called for a significant tightening of the number of New Zealanders entering the country.

Over the weekend, 64 positive Covid cases were recorded within New Zealands oversubscribed managed isolation facilities (MIQ) for incoming travellers, many of which were expected to be Omicron.

Wilson said he was perplexed that poor ventilation and shared spaces within MIQ had not been fixed and that the resulting high risk of an Omicron outbreak was unacceptable.

To relieve the pressure on MIQ, Wilson said, the government ought to require rapid antigen testing for travellers immediately prior to allowing them on flights, and cap the number of travellers coming from high-risk countries such as the UK, where Omicron rates have skyrocketed.

Such measures would be controversial. The government is facing significant pressure from advocacy groups like Grounded Kiwis to make it easier for overseas New Zealanders to return home. The countrys borders have been shut since March 2020.

Spokesperson Martin Newell said Grounded Kiwis strongly agreed with universal rapid antigen testing for travellers and strictly limiting travellers exposure to each other. However, he emphasised that you cant deny the right of New Zealanders to be able to return to their country.

Wilson, however, said: The priority for the government has to be on protecting the 5 million New Zealanders in New Zealand.

The Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, has been approached for comment.

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New Zealand not prepared for Omicron outbreak expected in matter of weeks, experts warn - The Guardian

Last year was New Zealands hottest year on record, according to the countrys National Institute of Water and Aeronautic Research (NIWA), and seven of the past nine years are among New Zealands warmest ever. The countrys steadily rising temperature brings increased risk of major floods, bushfires and storms.

According to NIWA, New Zealands average temperature in 2021 was 13.56 degrees Celsius. Its the highest average NIWA has recorded since it began its seven-station annual temperature series in 1909, and breaks the previous record set in 2016 by 0.11 degrees.

The increases wont end anytime soon without significant action on climate change, said Victoria University of Wellingtons Dr Nathanael Melia. Every year we spin the roulette wheel of weather variability; however, like a casino, we have rigged the game, and the hothouse always wins in the end.

Dr James Renwick at the same university said: We can expect more and more of the same in future the record high temperatures we have just experienced would be counted as a cold year by the 2040s.

Heightened temperatures cause more extreme weather, says Renwick. For example, higher temperatures means the atmosphere holds more moisture, which causes more severe flooding in some regions.

In July 2021 heavy rain engorged the West Coasts Buller River, accelerating its flow to 10 times its normal rate the highest recorded in a New Zealand river since 1926. The resulting flood devastated the town of Westport. Many residents had to be evacuated after hundreds of houses were inundated, causing an estimated NZ$132m in damage. Development West Coasts chief executive, Heath Milne, expects the rebuild to take up to two years.

Higher temperatures also mean other regions will become dryer, according to Renwick, causing more frequent bushfires.

SCION, New Zealands forestry research service, estimates that the number of days of very high or extreme fire risk will double or triple in coming years. Firefighters in New Zealand are currently on their 26th day of fighting a major bush fire in the Far North District.

These changes are typical around the world, says Renwick. These are all symptoms of the way the climate is changing, and New Zealand is no different from other countries in that respect.

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2021 was New Zealands hottest year on record - The Guardian

Universities and colleges are worried that the border opening to foreign nationals in April will have little effect on international student mobility due to the visas being on processing hold until August.

They need this confirmation now if they are going to be able to arrive in time for our universities second semester

Although the government has said it will begin a staged reopening of the border to fully vaccinated foreign nationals from April 30, international university students wanting to start, continue or finish studies in person need to know when after April 30 they can enter, Chris Whelan, Universities New Zealand Te Pkai Tara chief executive, told The PIE News.

Three cohorts of border exceptions totalling 1,550 international university students have been granted to date but most of Aotearoa New Zealands existing and prospective international students remain offshore, uncertain, he added.

Independent Tertiary Education president Craig Musson told RNZ in a report that its member institutions were entirely reliant on foreign enrolments, especially English language schools.

He also warned that some members could be facing a third consecutive year with no new students from abroad.

It generally takes about five months for them to satisfy visa requirements and organise travel and everything else necessary to live in New Zealand, so they need this confirmation now if they are going to be able to arrive in time for our universities second semester in June and July, Whelan continued.

However, the University of Aucklands acting director of international operations told The PIE that visa processing isnt the main barrier for students wanting to enter the country.

The uncertainty around timing and isolation process for entering the country [is the main barrier], said Ainslie Moore.

When students offshore are granted a border exception they apply for a visa then a spot in MIQ [Managed Isolation and Quarantine] visa processing for these students has been smooth and timely, but access to MIQ is constrained.

Some eligible students with visas in hand are still without an MIQ spot, she added.

This aligns with the views of immigration and education agent Arunima Dhingra, who said there was too much confusion about when and how borders would reopen to students.

At this stage you go through one hoop and you get stuck on the other, she said.

The pandemic and its impact on border management continues to be the biggest challenge for our students, Moore confirmed.

The issues follow a proposed new framework whereby the sector will put less emphasis on residency and work rights and more on providing high quality courses and high-value international education.

Our government has made some significant transitions to how and where we process offshore visa applications, and is also rolling out a new information system in 2022, Brett Berquist told The PIE News.

While we are watching carefully, we believe these will be positive changes for international education in New Zealand, the former director of international at The University of Auckland added.

Another issue looming is rumbling calls for longer student visas, as some PhD students were reportedly worrying about spending time and money on getting extensions.

Applying for a visa can be time-consuming, and it is understandable students want to avoid the admin burden, Moore concurred.

In New Zealand, most international students only obtain a visa for their first year at the institution which is, in most cases, the duration of which tuition has been paid.

Once this has passed, a renewal is then necessary for a subsequent to be applied for by the student for the next duration of their study.

The purpose of the visa renewal is for Immigration New Zealand to ascertain that students continue to meet their visa requirements, Moore explained.

These requirements include health, evidence of supporting funds and tuition payments.

Ali Khan, a doctoral candidate at the Victoria University of Wellington, told RNZ that the hassle of police and health checks caused emotional and financial stress.

It causes an extra incremental pain point for PhD students who are also not in an extended program, Khan said.

While Moore told the PIE the checks were necessary, she agreed that changes may be necessary.

The pandemic and its impact on border management continues to be the biggest challenge

While this is important, longer duration visas would be helpful for all students, including doctoral candidates who may take a little longer to complete, she concluded.

All round, universities and institutions insist that they are supporting their international students in any way they can.

We know this is hard, so were supporting students to study online till travel is possible, including through innovative offerings like our PG STEM offer in India, Moore added.

As well as working hard towards [getting students into NZ], New Zealands eight universities are advising and supporting both existing and prospective international students during this difficult time, Whelan said.

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New Zealand: visa processing creating uncertainty among tertiary institutions - The PIE News

New Zealands navy has conducted an unusual mercy mission to retrieve two people stranded in Singapore for 18 months due to Covid-19.

A medical condition meant the two could not fly to New Zealand, and their shrinking bank balance made staying in Singapore difficult.

According to documents released under the Official Information Act, the mission occurred after an adviser to New Zealands high commission to Singapore interceded on the pairs behalf, saying their position was very unique and he feared their situation could turn into one that is even worse.

The couple, whose case was first reported by Stuff, received a special exemption to travel on board the HMNZS Canterbury, which was being refurbished in Singapore at the time. The ship left Singapore in November 2021. The journey took 19 days, meaning the couple did not need to quarantine upon arrival in New Zealand.

Disclosed government emails demonstrate a concern the mission could set an inconvenient precedent. However, one official wrote: It is not a Dunkirk-style evacuation of [New Zealanders] from south-east Asia.

In a separate email the official wrote: If we establish a precedent whereby people who have no ability to fly find themselves at a place where there is a [navy] vessel, that is heading for [New Zealand], with available space and medical staff on board, I can live with that.

New Zealands foreign ministry noted that the case involved a very specific and unusual set of circumstances and declined to comment further.

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New Zealand navy rescues duo stuck in Singapore for 18 months - The Guardian

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivers a Covid-19 update at Parliament House, Wellington, New Zealand, in August 2021. EFE/EPA/MARK MITCHELL

The New Zealand governments elimination response strategy for Covid-19 meant implementing aggressive measures to tackle the virus hard and early. While this strategy was initially successful, a survey by the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) showed that as the New Zealand health system prioritised the response to Covid-19, other health needs were not adequately addressed and health care access was significantly delayed. New Zealands health system was not ready for a pandemic and it is easy to see why when looking at a recently published report showing that the right to health care and protection has not improved in the country since long before the pandemic.

In 2021, HRMI, hosted by the New Zealand economic research institute Motu, took a deep dive into the right to health care and protection in Aotearoathe Mori name for New Zealandto measure whether the New Zealand government is taking the necessary steps to fulfil its international human rights promises. A complimentary article on OpenGlobalRights shows this evaluation for the right to adequate housing in Aotearoa. Both these articles are based on research commissioned by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

Through signing international human rights treaties, the New Zealand government has made promises to ensure all available resources are used to improve everyone access to the right to health care and protection over time. The government has also committed to minimum core obligations for the right to health care and protection, which range from ensuring access to health facilities, basic shelter, and safe water, to providing minimum essential food to ensure freedom from hunger. These obligations highlight the fact that all economic and social rights are interconnected.

The report provides new methodologies for measuring whether the government is living up to five of its international human rights promises for the right to health care and protection. These methodologies are the same as those described in the OGR article on housing.

The New Zealand government is failing to fulfil all its promises for the right to health care and protection

Table 1 shows that while most health outcomes have not worsened in Aotearoa, many health outcomes have failed to improve over time for all people.

Of the 23 right to health outcomes that we can track over time, 14 have failed to improve and seven have deteriorated. Within physical health, the under-five mortality rate and the unmet need for dental health care have not improved, and the rate of rheumatic fever hospitalisations has worsened. Within underlying conditions of health, Aotearoas relative poverty rate has failed to improve, and the inflation-adjusted funding of Mori health providers per capita has decreased.

The two best performing indicators are within the mental health key dimension. Aotearoas suicide rate and the percentage of people who have experienced lifetime intimate partner violence have both decreased over time, meaning rights outcomes have improved.

Notes: For the promise to improve health outcomes over time, compliance is achieved if the majority of indicators have improved over time, a failure is concluded if the majority of indicators have deteriorated or stayed constant over time, and mixed evidence is concluded if the indicators show different results. For the promise to ensure health outcomes dont deteriorate over time, compliance is achieved if the majority of indicators stay at least constant over time, a failure is concluded if the majority of indicators deteriorate over time, and mixed evidence is concluded if the indicators show different results.

Additionally, of the 20 health outcomes we can compare across population subgroups, 17 show breaches of the promise of non-discrimination. New Zealands current health care system makes achieving good right to health outcomes more difficult for Mori and Pacific Peoples, disabled people, women, those with low educational certification, and those who are not employed.

After assessing the New Zealand governments performance against each of their human rights promises, we now have a clear understanding of the many ways the government has allowed its health system to become stagnant. We can show the government where change is most urgently needed. A good place to start is addressing Aotearoas unmet need for primary and dental health care, high relative poverty rates, and high levels of food insecurity so further health problems can be prevented.

Overall, the report shows that human rights arent just aspirations, they are international commitments for which performance can be assessed. This type of research must be conducted to hold governments to account and ensure human rights are taken seriously.

This is particularly important during the pandemic. HRMIs research shows that government Covid-19 measures often have a negative impact on human rights, particularly amongst those already vulnerable. Of the 39 countries surveyed, 65.4% of respondents said that Covid-19 had affected peoples enjoyment of the right to health. If a country prioritizes improving physical and mental health care and protection against underlying conditions of health for everyone, ensuring that disparities in access to health care are eliminated, they will be in a better position to respond to Covid-19 and prevent further harm and human rights violations.

Other countries can use the methodologies laid out in the report to empirically measure whether the government is meeting its human rights promises. In doing so, more governments can realise their failures and redirect their policy strategies sand resources to most efficiently improve human rights outcomes for everyone. Check out HRMIs Rights Tracker to see how your country is keeping its human rights promises, including on the right to health care and protection. Also see HRMIs Human Rights During the Pandemic report to learn how your governments Covid-19 response has impacted human rights in your country.

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New Zealand's failure to meet its human rights promises on health care and protection - OpenGlobalRights

Adam Berry /Getty Images

There are very few things in my morning media diet with the potential to tickle my fancy, and the New Zealand Taxpayers Union (NZTU) fighting a losing Twitter battle with the furry community a battle that it initiated simply hits different.

On Tuesday, the NZTU shared a tweet in response to an article about four IT professionals who also happened to be members of the furry community.

Unbelievable, it said. Taxpayers are funding pro-furry propaganda.

The Unions issue? The article which explored experiences in the furry community, misunderstandings about the fandom, and the overlap in furries and people who work in IT had been written as Public Interest Journalism, funded by New Zealands Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

The $55 million dollar Public Interest Journalism fund is an initiative aiming to support at risk journalism. Its a three year package being administered by NZ On Air an independent government funding agency.

It should be noted that, despite its name, The New Zealand Taxpayers Union is a lobbying group and not a government body that represents all of New Zealands taxpayers. Whatever the case, it seems the NZTU did not appreciate funds going towards an expose on furry culture.

Only a few moments after the NZTU starting kicking up a fuss, dozens of furries from the domestic and international community came out to defend the piece.

Furries count as public interest and its highly unlikely all that money went to one article, said one comment. You guys clearly dont understand anything about funding or tax.

I pay taxes too...I paid taxes when I wasn't even in the country, I pay more since I became a Furry and started dabbling in IT read another.

Seemingly not content with the initial response to the tweet, the NZTU made a poster. God knows why.

In a statement, the NZTU told VICE that it believed taxpayers did not want public funds being spent on information about furries.

The global furry underbelly might be able to throw its weight around on Twitter, but as we all know, normal people dont use Twitter, said a spokesperson.

Normal people use Facebook, where the response to the furry article has been very different.

Kjaru, a member of New Zealands furry community, told VICE the community was absolutely in the public interest.

Its a group that has been historically bashed by media, and this has added stigma to the community. The furry community is just a hobbyist collective where people can express themselves without strictly being associated with our usual identities, they said.

Many furries are LGBT+ or neurodivergent, and despite the profound benefits of being able to express yourself in a way that gets around public anxiety or body image issues, the stigma is often the biggest issue for people.

Kjaru estimates that there are 500-600 active furries in New Zealand, and that the number is growing steadily.

Its absolutely in the public interest to show that were not only doing no harm, but are also, ultimately, just trying to live our best lives, Kjaru said.

Another New Zealand furry, Ranger Martin, said furry fandom was a self-sustaining economy driven by commissioners paying artists for art of their original characters.

Everyone here has come from all walks of life, from office workers to manual labourers, to executives [and people in] government and military positions, they said.

Furries are not out here trying to show that theyre better. Theyre just chilling out with their friends and commissioning artworks.

Ironically, by starting a flame war on Twitter the NZTU has brought the argument to furry home turf. It may have started a war it has already lost.

Follow Arielle onTikTokandInstagram.

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The New Zealand Taxpayers Union Is Currently Being Trolled By a Bunch of Furries - VICE

Cyclone Cody is now expected to track just east of New Zealand instead of making landfall this weekend, forecasters say.

But if Cody stays offshore it will still make for very dangerous coastal conditions, with rips, surges and large swells making it unsafe to head into the water or even walk on many beaches.

The slow-moving cyclone is currently north of New Zealand but is expected to move southwards and brush past East Cape on Monday, according to MetService.

There's still uncertainty in the latest models, meaning things could change rapidly if the track moves slightly east or west.

Cody was generating large easterly swells that were set to affect the eastern coast of the North Island from Saturday through to Tuesday, MetService said.

And the cyclone would bring with it a "tropical air mass" which meant heavy rain was likely in the northeast of the North Island on Monday, along with gale force winds.

"Hazardous conditions are expected about exposed eastern coastlines of the North Island, where large easterly swells, significant sea surges/rips and coastal inundation are possible."

Those conditions would be caused by gale and storm-force winds from offshore and as the cyclone approached the northeast of the island.

Northland is likely to see very big waves from Saturday and they are set to arrive in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel on Sunday as the cyclone moves south, according to MetService meteorologist Angus Hines.

Gisborne and Hawkes Bay would then see "very, very heavy swell" before Monday brought big waves further south along the east coast - possibly down to Marlborough.

13 Jan, 2022 06:53 PMQuick Read

11 Jan, 2022 09:00 AMQuick Read

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stotlz earlier told RNZ people needed to be careful and stay clear of beaches.

"Everyone that lives along the beach just watch out for what is going on there, and then again, as always, we might see some surface flooding."

Civil Defence teams had been checking in with communities and campers along the Gisborne coastline to make sure they were aware of the cyclone, while there was a high chance some beaches could be closed, RNZ reported.

Weatherwatch's Philip Duncan Cody would now technically become an ex-cyclone as it was no longer tropical - but it would still be a powerful storm.

The latest modelling showed Cody would track closest to New Zealand on Monday but water conditions would go downhill rapidly on Sunday as swells arrived.

"Very dangerous conditions - rips, currents and rogue waves - so unless you're very experienced we would recommend that pretty much everybody stays out of the water as this storm comes in closer," Duncan said.

He said it was possible Gisborne could see 120-150mm of rain brought by the weather system.

A heavy rain watch is in place from midnight on Sunday to midnight on Monday for Gisborne and the Wairoa District, MetService said.

Periods of heavy rain are forecast in the area and it's possible the amounts may reach warning criteria.

A strong wind watch is also in place over that time for Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane and Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay.

The forecast is for south to southeast winds that could approach severe gale speed in exposed places.

Elsewhere it was possible Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and the far east of Bay of Plenty to see warning amounts of rainfall and severe gales on Monday and early Tuesday. There was also a lower risk of heavy rain and severe gales for Bay of Plenty, Taupo, eastern Taihape and Wairarapa.

MetService forecast the weather would remain fine until Cody arrived, and that fine weather would continue into next week for western and southern areas that were minimally affected by the cyclone.

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Weather: Cyclone Cody forecast to miss New Zealand, but huge waves, heavy rain, gales still expected - New Zealand Herald